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Rule of law

Lawfare as Spectacle: The Arrest of Brad Lander

Incident report
Case Dossier JUD-LAW-001
STATUS
Incident report
SEVERITY
Critical
DATE
2025-06-17
DOMAIN
Rule of Law
SUBDOMAIN
Political Intimidation
CAPTURE VECTOR
Performative intimidation
TAGS
lawfare ice due-process political-retaliation nyc alex-padilla ras-baraka
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NYC Comptroller Brad Lander is arrested by masked ICE agents at an immigration courthouse after demanding a judicial warrant. This incident is part of a pattern of federal law enforcement targeting Democratic elected officials who attempt to oversee or question deportation tactics.

Summary

On June 17, 2025, New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was handcuffed and detained by masked ICE agents at 26 Federal Plaza. Lander had intervened to ask agents for a judicial warrant as they attempted to arrest a migrant in the courthouse hallway. While Lander was released without formal charges hours later, DHS spokespeople publicly accused him of “assaulting law enforcement,” a narrative contradicted by video evidence showing him merely asking for legal documentation.

Capture Mechanism: The “Dismiss-to-Deport” Trap

The incident sheds light on a specific legal tactic used to bypass due process:

  • The Tactic: DHS prosecutors are abruptly dismissing immigration cases when migrants appear in court.
  • The Trap: Once the case is dismissed, the migrant loses the protection of the court proceeding. Agents then arrest them in the hallway and place them in “expedited removal” proceedings, which do not require a hearing before a judge.
  • The Result: The judiciary is effectively removed from the deportation process, converting courts into entrapment zones.

Pattern of Targeting Officials

Lander’s arrest is not isolated but part of a systematic campaign to intimidate elected officials who question federal enforcement:

  • Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA): Handcuffed and shoved by federal officers five days earlier for trying to question DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
  • Mayor Ras Baraka (Newark) & Rep. LaMonica McIver: Arrested/charged following protests at detention centers.
  • Milwaukee Judge: Arrested by the FBI for allegedly shielding an undocumented immigrant.

Analysis

The arrest of high-ranking officials serves a performative function: Regime Supremacy. It signals that federal executive power overrides local mandates, elected office, and judicial norms. By arresting those who demand warrants or oversight, the regime demonstrates that the “rule of law” has been replaced by the “rule of force,” and that immunity is reserved only for those who align with the state’s violence.